LarkFest’s ‘seamy underside’: A resident pleads for change

Dennis Taratus, who lives on Jay Street, and other residents near Lark Street, experience LarkFest differently from the rest of us. Their day involves protecting their property from drunks, drug users and “young people out-of-control.”

Here’s an e-mail he wrote to us about their Saturday:

Reporting on the 2010 LarkFest in Albany is generally up-beat. It is indeed a great event.

However, the reports fail to address the seamy underside of the event from the perspective of Center Square residents. I, and several of my neighbors, were again forced to stand guard on our homes as we do each time Lark Street is closed for a similar gathering. We do this to prevent drunks and revelers from urinating or vandalizing on our properties.

Last Saturday we spent another tense afternoon dissuading attendees from trying to tear down a fenced off area across the street. Men and women assaulted it repeatedly in order to gain access to the lot behind it to pee. The construction lot is adjacent to the Knickerbocker Apartments and the site of a recent building collapse, so it is inherently unsafe.

While we discouraged but a handful, dozens of men and girls simply pissed on the ground in full view of residents. Several used the occasion to smash bottles and engage in vandalism. Some were hurt and tore their clothes vaulting the fence. Many simply shook at it or clawed pieces of it away trying to rip it down. If we had not been there, it is certain it would have been destroyed.

Management at the Knickerbocker Apartments tried to secure the fence to protect their tenants, and when their makeshift repairs did finally hold, revelers simply vaulted the fence. Residents called police several times to the scene, and while police were responsive, they ultimately provided little deterrence as they had too few on duty to secure the entire scene.

I don’t know how many police are commonly advisable to secure a gathering of 70,000 people, but whatever number Albany Police provided or deployed proved inadequate. In several instances, our admonitions to use the portable toilets only a block over and threats to call police yet again were greeted with derisive profanities delivered by menacing drunks of both sexes. Here are just a sample:

I personally called police when I observed a reveler, who upon taking exception to being asked not to use the empty lot by my neighbor, then crossed the street to harangue him and his wife, goading him threateningly while simultaneously clutching a 16-oz. beer. During this interlude, his buddy used the distraction to vault the fence, urinate, and upon returning to the sidewalk, greeted my neighbor with a shouted obscenity from across the street. Police arrived later, but the man had by now calmed down, moved on, and we declined to press it further.

A clutch of drunken girls sat on the sidewalk outside another neighbor’s home and shared samples of the merchandise they had stolen from vendors, until they were asked to leave, a request with which they ultimately complied, first punctuated with profanity and personal insults.
My wife and I observed not only a spectacle of public drinking and drunkenness, but young people sniffing drugs on another neighbor’s stoop, older folks too drunk to stand or speak clearly, and young people out-of-control generally, and all of this was observed just on the half block near our home from 2-5 pm.

LarkFest is a wonderful event, but inadequate security, the suspension of consequences for public consumption of alcohol or drunkenness, ineffective access and awareness of public toilets, and the general absence of civilized behavior makes it also tense and threatening time for residents.

Three-hundred and sixty four days a year this is where we live, but on LarkFest our homes become forts to be defended, stoop by stoop. It seems sad and inevitable that this will result in a serious injury or assault, or drunk driving death that could threaten a thirty-year tradition and fun time for so many.

If you, like I and my neighbors, support a strong local music scene and a vibrant business community on Lark Street, LarkFest must change. It must become the kind of event where people remark at the courtesy of attendees and where the City provides enough security, drunk tanks, and presence to ensure those inclined to bad behavior would clearly incur a consequence, and not merely leave with an anecdote of how in their drunken bravado and vandalizing went unpunished.

I’m sure the businesses along Lark and nearby streets really appreciate all the business they get on that weekend, but they probably don’t open their restrooms to them without a purchase. I don’t know if there were any portapotties anywhere, if there were there was probably not enough to handle a crowd that large. People in general are lazy and basically not as clean as you’d like. But add the atmosphere of a street party with alcohol allowed, they turn into animals! Where are the police when all the public urination and vandalism is going on? Never one around when you really need one!

Another reason ” NIMBY ” rings true. I was born & raised in Pine Hills. Beautiful neighborhoods, victorian homes, tree lined streets… like a scene from a classic novel. Once the college kids came rolling in and ruined it, it looks like a scene from horror film.

Bottom line, people have little or no respect for residents. And it seems to be getting worse on a daily basis.

It’s sad the the all engrossing need for the college dollar subjects the everyday resident of this city to such antics! Larkfest is overhyped and overrated!Not to mention it lacks diversity! Larkfest should be moved into washington park plain and simple!

From what it sounds like, a few people tried to pee in a vacant lot near (?) your apartment. The rest is you being nosy. No one was trying to break into your apartment, so I wouldnt say you were “defending it” either. Let’s take it easy…its 8 hours once a year. Just go watch TV or something. Jesus.

Really? People don’t know how to behave, so the guy should move? I’d take Mark’s comment further, Bottom line, people have little or no respect for other people. And it seems to be getting worse on a daily basis. Give em a beer and there are no expectations of common decency?

It’s sad to say, but that kind of comes with the territory of living on/near Lark Street. A few times a year drunk people are going to be around. You may need to put away the plants or whatever on your doorstep or possibly hose down your house the next day. This is how it is living on the most popular street in the city. Can’t do much about it unless they cancel all the festivities that go on there, which would be unwise financially for the city.

The Larkfest sucks and wayyyy overrated. I went there twice in my life and hated it both times. There is nothing there but drunks, bad music and things to spend money on. It’s dangerously over crowded. Bring back the Riverfest!!! Bring back the Blues Festival!! Whatever happened to the good festivals around here? Yuck to Larkfest. Boooooo.

Great article..I never thought of it from the perspective of residents to the area. I personally would love to go to Larkfest..but I do feel the security is not sufficient for that number of people…so I don’t attend.

Agreed with Lauren and the author,
Center Square does not want to ban Larkfest, just change the dynamics of it. The term “Larkfest” is a misnomer. It is not for, nor does it represent the attitudes of those living on or near the Lark Street area – those who are proud of their neighborhoods and want to celebrate it, but rather it reflects the attitudes of those living in other areas who choose to descend upon the festival and treat Lark Street as a ditch in which they can wallow.
Larkfest should be an opportunity for all cultures of the city of Albany to come together, support local music and local businesses and celebrate one of the beautiful neighborhoods our city is so lucky to have.
There is no culture in binge drinking, public urination, and foul language shouted at high volumes – unfortunately our mayor does seem to think that is Albany’s culture, as displayed at another event celebrating Albany’s “culture” – Tulipfest.
Larkfest reform begins now – how about designated drinking areas with beer tents?

there is always some a@@ that always says that if you don’t like something- move. How would you like me to come to your home and pee on your lawn? It is never simple to leave your home when you own property. Most people that have any brains would know that. How would you like to be paying for a house that people pee on or that you need to constantly fix because the city does not want to take any responsibility for a open free for all party that they host?

I’m a Jay St homeowner and my Larkfest routine is pretty simple: I own my stoop. From 10 AM until the awesome APD mounted police break up the party my friends and I hang out, have a couple of drinks, and protect my turf. I really don’t think there’s any other way.

Larkfest comes with the territory. We all know it will happen every year, the question is how big will it be. I’m thankful that the BID toned it down a bit this year. And most residents know what to expect: it was great to see how quickly Jay St residents cleaned the street up — we had it looking pretty good by 6:30pm.

Vacant lots attract trouble. It would have been nice if Crisafulli had hired a security guard for the day, but I’m guessing no one asked them to.

Lark Fest – In the 80′s it was great, in the 90′s the bands got better and you could really bring the family to Lark for “people watching” and to introduce them to culture. 2000 – forward no way I won’t go near down town. It’s like Fountain day, Tulip fest, St’ Patrick’s Day parade. The public performance is pathetic and it wrecks it for those who really want to celebrate the City. There are several issues here: lack of repect, the threat of being harmed, lack of sanitation and lack of safety. Maybe a solution is more police but don’t we have security cameras on Lark St? Don’t business suffer also with shop lifters and people who deface their store fronts? I don’t think it’s just the residents that are speaking out about the daily/nightly activites that happen during Lark Fest.

I was there this year and it was a blast. There is no excuse for people to act like animals, drinking for not drinking. I like many that day was drinking and yes there were bathrooms around and the lines weren’t that bad. I do agree with the complainer that the police need to foot patrol the side streets to make sure people aren’t getting out of line.

Dogs are peeing over all of those same places, what difference does a couple drunks make? By that point they are just peeing out water anyways. If they are peeing on your front steps that is one thing, if they are just in an alley then who cares? Go out and have fun and stop acting like your house is in danger.

I lived on Chestnut St. in the mid and late 90s. We left town during LarkFest and Tulip Fest. Lots of drunks and vandalism resulted from both. Center square is first a place to live, not a party place. No one should have to put up with harassment, vandalism, and public drunkenness and urination. They are against the law.

The police who patrol during the event are great. But there need to be more of them and they need to stay in the neighborhood later. If that is not possible, alcohol should not be sold from street vendors. Anyone who has a problem with THAT should consider a 12 step program.

I always loved the Larkfest, yet now I no longer attend.
It has been ruined by angry drunk college age students.
It is no longer safe nor appealing for families and children.
The plethora of wild intoxicated people, people walking around with pitbulls, and inappropriate behavior. Stemming from this it may
some day be cancelled because of this selfish drunk behavior.

Keeping an eye out for your property and your neighbors homes is not being nosy. Standing guard is not something someone should have to do once a year. Relocating because children that can’t hold their liquor and puke and pee on someone’s property once a year is not exactly logical either, is it?

If some jackass was peeing on my neighbor’s home I would let them know that was unacceptable in my neighborhood, and when/if you yelled obscenities I would call the police and have you arrested. It’s not cute; it’s not something anyone anywhere should have to live through I love it when some asshole thinks it’s ok to be an asshole, would love to see the reaction if someone was pissing on their parents home.

Being nosy is called being a good neighbor.

We all know if the police did their job and held people accountable then the statistics would show it is not a safe event and families and normal citizens(citizens that don’t break the law)wouldn’t come within a mile of the event. That’s a fact plain and simple.